I recently wrote a blog post about my stance on whether or not to offer a free trial lesson to prospective students. After about fifteen years of experimenting and trying things, I’m resting (for now) on the side of offering a free trial lesson to new beginners and transferring students alike. You can read about […]
Your Music Teaching Business
For Music Teachers: Why Offer a Free Trial Lesson?
Why I offer free trial lessons to prospective students and why you might want to, too. Free trial lessons are a somewhat controversial topic in the music teaching world. Many teachers believe offering a free lesson devalues our work and encourages prospective students to exploit these offerings. This may or may not be true. But […]
Will AI Change Music Teaching?
I was obsessed with birds as a kid. I had two pet cockatiels, June and Sydney, that I adored. I watched the movie Polly over and over again. I had a bird book and a pair of binoculars. My dad and I would sit by the window and try to identify the birds that came […]
My New Guidelines for Students: Suzuki in the Time of Coronavirus
One of my many character flaws, is that I, when faced with a difficulty, will often put off creating a solution in the hope that the problem I’m facing will just…disappear. One of these difficulties is one you’re probably facing right now as well–online teaching due to Coronavirus. There was (and still is, to be […]
How to Address Difficult Situations with Students…
I’m going to make a guess that if you’re reading this blog post, that you are, or have been, in a situation where you need to discuss something sensitive with a parent or student in your music studio. Maybe you’ve been meaning to have the conversation for a long time, and you’ve finally decided it’s […]
Setting Boundaries in Your Suzuki Studio
As the beginning of school approaches, I like to take some time to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t in my Suzuki violin studio. I love the magic of a new start, and the beginning of fall is my favorite time of year. It’s important to me to set myself up well at the […]
Why You Should Create a Facebook Page for Your Music Teaching Business
Whether we like it or not, Facebook is here to stay and it is a major player in the lives of our potential students and their parents. If you are a Suzuki teacher, I strongly suggest creating a business Facebook page for your studio. Here are a few reasons why you may want to create […]
Communicating with New Suzuki Parents…
Starting a new student is an exciting, fun, and a little bit scary process. It’s wonderful to get to know a new student and family, and watch their joy and wonder over the beginning violin steps. Especially with young students, this time is just magical. It’s also scary! There’s a lot of pressure to get […]
How to Make Changes to Your Suzuki Studio without Alienating Your Students
Occasionally, I will realize that I have really messed up my violin studio. I’ve not created boundaries around my time. Or I wasn’t clear about my expectations for practice or listening. I’ll come to the conclusion that things need to change. Maybe you’ve felt the same in your own studio. But how do we press […]
Why I Totally Changed Suzuki Parent Education in My Studio…
And How Automation Keeps Me Sane… In recent years, I have begun to realize how much power I have to create the culture and community in my Suzuki violin studio. Any “issues” or “frustrations” I have had with parents or students, if I look hard enough, I can trace back to my own actions. And, […]